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Soundtrack for Queen Charlotte

• “Halo” by Beyoncé

  I don’t generally know which songs are going to be in the Bridgerverse shows until I see the final cuts, but “Halo” was confirmed early, and thus was in the version of Episode One of Queen Charlotte I was sent while I was working on the novel. I’ve always liked the song, but I positively marinated in it while writing Charlotte and George’s love story. Funnily enough, it wasn’t the lyrics that caught me (although they fit the story perfectly); it was the melody. It seeps in, it surrounds. It IS Charlotte and George.

• “You’re On Your Own, Kid” by Taylor Swift

  Everybody has their favorite Midnights song, and this is mine. But I also think it speaks to Charlotte’s journey. Yes, Queen Charlotte is ultimately about love and partnership, but it is also about Charlotte’s realization that there are some journeys she’s going to have to undertake on her own. Perhaps it foreshadows the ultimately bittersweet nature of her love story…She’s going to spend years holding down the fort by herself.

• “As It Was” by Harry Styles

  No particular reason, just that this song came out while I was working on Queen Charlotte, and I played it endlessly.

• “No Way” from the Six soundtrack

  I saw Six on Broadway (and then again on its national tour—that’s how much I loved it!) and I can now sing almost every lyric by heart. Given that every song is sung by a Queen, I naturally had to put one on my Queen Charlotte playlist. I settled on “No Way” because (despite the fact that it’s about a Queen refusing to be set aside for another woman) Catherine of Aragon’s attitude captures Charlotte’s when she confronts George and forces him to admit he loves her. And when you think about it, Charlotte is also refusing to be set aside.

• “Get Down” from the Six soundtrack

  Bonus track! If “No Way” is the Six song for Young Charlotte, “Get Down” is the perfect track for Bridgerton-era Charlotte. Just look at the lyrics. It opens with: “Sitting here all alone/In a palace that I happen to own.” Then you’ve got the chorus: “I’m the Queen of the castle/Get down, you dirty rascal.” If this isn’t our beloved Queen…

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